The Dragons went into the clash with the chance to solidify their position in the top eight and looked in command of the clash at 12-4 late in the first half before  Cody Walker’s try moments before the break, and three more off the boot of Adam Reynolds in the second, left them ruing their sixth loss of the season.

Cooper said his side lacked the killer instinct to drive home their early advantage. 

“It was one of those weird games you have where you feel like you won but you actually got beaten,” Cooper said.

“We won every single stat the only one we didn’t win was the points on the board which is the one that matters. 

“We’re just not being ruthless enough. We're getting teams on the ropes and we’re just not landing that killer punch. That’s what’s killing us and until we get that right we’re not going to compete with the top end.

“There was a stage in the first half where they dropped the ball three or four times in their own end and that’s when we need to get those repeat sets and come away with points.

“It’s just letting us down at the moment and if we want to compete in this competition we need to get that right.”

It continued a worrying trend of second half fade-outs this season something Cooper admits his side needs to address.

“I thought the forwards played pretty well, I thought everyone played pretty well but it was just one of those games where little lapses let us down,” Cooper said.

“We’re getting in front quite comfortably in games but we’re just not being ruthless enough.

"The four tries they got off kicks were unacceptable and we certainly have to fix that and put more kick pressure on.”

The Dragons will be without Josh Dugan and possibly Tyson Frizell due to Origin commitments over the next six weeks but won’t as badly hit as some other including the Cowboys who they face on Saturday at WIN Stadium.

Paul Green could be without as many as eight star players for the trip to Wollongong and Cooper said the Origin period is a chance for the Dragons to make some in-roads in the competition.

“It’s a big opportunity for us back at home and we want to keep our undefeated record at home going,” Cooper said.

“We won't have too many players missing through the Origin period but we’re not going to take teams lightly.

"We saw what happened with the Warriors game, they had a lot of players missing and they came away with the result.

“I’m sure the Cowboys will be really fired up on Saturday and we really need to the win so it’s going to be a big game.”